SPOILERS for The Boys season 4 finale to follow…
Claudia Doumit may be the perfect Victoria Neuman inThe Boys,but she didn’t originally set out to play that character. According to a new, post-season 4 interview, Doumit actually auditioned for an entirely different role during season 1. In a new interview withThe Hollywood Reporter,Doumit revealed that she actually auditioned for the role of Ashley Barrett, the long-suffering, kinky publicist of the Seven. While she didn’t win that role inThe Boys, Doumit heaped praise on actor Colby Minifie and her skill for improvisation.
“The amount of improv that woman does in that role is so outstanding! It’s just fun to be on set watching her. I came in for that role originally and I knew I wasn’t right for it, and I didn’t get it, obviously, and then the first season of the show came out. I was such a fan! Then the auditions came for the second season and this character Victoria Neuman found its way to me.”
The Boys - Season 4
In season four of The Boys, Victoria Neuman is closer than ever to the Oval Office and under the control of Homelander. With only months to live, Billy Butcher must find a way to work with The Boys if they want to save the world.
Doumit also discussed her character’s motivations, stating that Neuman was being sincere when she asked Hughie for help. Not that anyone can help her now after whathappens at the end of season 4. Doumit acknowledged that the character has shades of gray, making her neither a hero nor villain and that, ultimately, the character is one who wishes to be normal and human despite her abilities. Her desire to hide her abilities was actually borne out of an idea of what’s right for the world, according to Doumit.
“Oh, 100 percent she’s being sincere! It’s really sad, because I think that Huey is the first real connection and real friend she has had in her adult life. And even though she hasn’t told him everything, even though she’s only told him part-truths and half-vulnerabilities, I think that is as much as she can give.
That is a lot for her, and Neuman even says this season, “I almost told you one time.” I say that in the first episode, I say, “I almost told you about my powers,” and that’s such a huge thing for her because there’s so much shame surrounding that. I think it does cost her when she loses him as a friend, because he sees that little part of humanity in her and so very few people do.”
How Victoria Neuman’s Death Will Affect The Boys Season 5
Victoria Neuman’s death wasone of the most shocking aspectsofThe Boys' season 4 finale. As it turns out, Neuman’s death played right into Sister Sage’s masterplan, and led to Homelander taking over the U.S. government. As Doumit points out, Neuman’s death could have drastic consequences on season 5 ofThe Boys.
“No, Sister Sage is the smartest woman in the world! (Laughs) I think her death triggers a lot, I would anticipate, for next season. I don’t know what. But you may see it causes a fracture in the relationship between Butcher and Hughie, and I don’t know if they can come back from that.”
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Perhaps the most immediate consequence isthe fracturing of Butcher and Hughie’s relationship. While Hughie had reason to want Neuman dead, and even attempted to kill her himself earlier in the season, Neuman had promised to join the Boys in their fight against Homelander — which could have potentially turned the tide against him. Unfortunately, Butcher’s new scorched earth policy means that Butcher won’t accept any compromise in the fight ahead.
Hughie’s genuine, unconventional friendship with Neuman also plays into Hughie and Butcher’s falling out. Hughie had promised Neuman the safety of not only herself,but also her daughter, Zoe. Now, however, Zoe is doomed to be raised in the exact same orphanage Neuman was raised in, a fact that Doumit also points out in the interview.
“I would hope she would avenge her mother! The thing with Zoe that’s so interesting to me is that this entire time, Neuman’s goal has been to give Zoe a somewhat normal childhood. To give her a childhood that looks nothing like hers did. She grew up in an orphanage, she didn’t have parents, and all these kind of horrible touchstones from her childhood occurred. And she really did not want that to happen to her daughter. And the heartbreaking thing is that her daughter is most likely going to end up in the exact same situation.”
The Boysseason 4 is now available to stream on Prime Video.
